Gifts: Theurge
The Theurge Gifts These Gifts are the secrets given to Gaia's children by Luna. She bid her many servants teach the Garou their various tricks, arming them with magical skills with which to protect Gaia. Luna's Gifts to the children of the Crescent Moon grant insight into the Umbra and its denizens, as well as power over spirits and the minds of others. Rank 1 Hear the Silence ( Changing Ways ) In tune with all things hidden, the Theurge can hear the tell-tale whispers of secret spirits whenever someone nearby bears the burden of hidden knowledge. A crow or raven spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point, and the werewolf becomes aware of anyone in her immediate vicinity with an important secret weighing on his mind, hidden either from her specifically or from the world at large. The importance of the secret depends on how it’s percieved by the one who keeps it. The theurge gains no insight into the nature of the secrets, she only knows who keeps them. Mother’s Touch The Theurge channels spiritual power through her hands, mending the wounds of any other living creature. This Gift may not heal the werewolf herself, spirits, or the undead. A bear- or unicorn-spirit teaches it. System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Empathy (difficulty is the target's current Rage, or 5 for those with no Rage). Each success heals one level of lethal, bashing, or aggravated damage. The healer may even heal fresh Battle Scars in this manner, if the Gift is applied during the same scene in which the scar is received and an extra Gnosis point is spent. Sense Wyrm The werewolf can sense nearby manifestations of the Wyrm. This Gift involves a mystical sense, not a visual or olfactory image, although Garou often describe the Wyrm's spiritual emanations as a stench. This Gift doesn't necessarily sense dedication to the Wyrm, merely contact with its spiritual essence, which can cling to even blameless souls. Sense Wyrm requires active concentration; the spiritual sense it provides doesn't function passively. The Gift may be taught by any Gaian spirit. System: The player rolls Perception + Occult. The difficulty depends on the concentration and strength of the Wyrm's influence: Sensing a single fomor in the next room would be difficulty 6, while detecting the stench of a Bane that was in the room an hour ago would be difficulty 7. Vampires register as Wyrm-tainted, save those with Humanity ratings of 7 or higher. Spirit Snare The Theurge casts out an invisible, mystic net which entangles hostile spirits, confounding them with a mixture of magical force and long-broken but still potent Gaian law. An owl-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 8) as an attack directed at a spirit within 30 feet, which can be defended against normally. Rather than inflicting damage, this attack reduces the spirit's effective Willpower by two for the purpose of all combat actions for the rest of the scene. Multiple applications of this Gift don't stack. Spirit Speech This Gift bestows understanding of the language of the spirit world, permitting the Garou to clearly understand and speak with any spirit he encounters. The Gift doesn't influence spirits' attitudes toward the werewolf in any way, nor ensure that they have any desire to communicate with him. Any spirit can teach it. System: This Gift's effects are permanent. Umbral Tether The Umbra is a shifting world where logic doesn't always apply and losing one's way is easy. Theurges ensure they can always find their way back to the point where they entered the Umbra with this Gift, which creates a silvery "umbilical cord" connecting the Garou to the point where they last crossed the Gauntlet. Only the werewolf who creates the tether can see it. This Gift is taught by a spider-spirit. System: No roll is needed to create the thread. However, after each full day the character spends in the Umbra, a point of Gnosis must be spent to maintain the cord; otherwise, it slowly corrodes from the point of entry and toward the Garou. Rank 2 Battle Mandala A mystical sigil burns itself into the ground around the Theurge, visible only to those with Gnosis ratings. This circle drains the Essence from spirits caught within its web. A spider- or ant-lion-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis and rolls Intelligence + Occult (difficulty 7). The battle mandala encompasses a radius of (50 x number of successes) feet (or 15 meters per success) around the Garou; spirits (other than the Garou's pack totem) within the mandala lose one Essence per turn. The mandala dissipates at the end of the scene or when the werewolf steps outside of its bounds, whichever comes first. Blood Life ( Changing Ways ) Many things reside in the blood, both mundane and mystical. Heritage, power, magical connections, and lifegiving nutrients all pulse through veins of living creatures, encompassing their life experiences. The Theurge can gain insight from these experiences by tasting the blood of her prey. An insect spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point when the werewolf succeeds at a bite attack against a target that has blood running through its veins, and deals at least one level of damage. She experiences a brief vision that replays a memory from the target’s past. It could be one of great mystical import or significant relevance to the current situation, or one that had a marked personal effect on the target. The Storyteller or the target’s player chooses the memory, but it should be one that gives the Theurge some insight into her foe (or ally). At the Storyteller’s discretion, the Garou gains between one and five bonus dice on the next roll her player makes for an action that’s relevant to the experience, depending on its intensity and pertinence. This Gift only works on living creatures, although the Theurge may pick up fragments of distant memory from a vampire’s victims if she uses this Gift to bite it. Command Spirit The Theurge can give commands to spirits she meets and expect obedience. The Gift doesn't grant the ability to summon spirits -- only to compel them to obey. As always when dealing with spirits, clear wording is essential, as some clever spirits may attempt to twist the spirit of issued commands while obeying them to the letter. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift. System: The player spends a Willpower point and rolls Charisma + Leadership (difficulty is the spirit's Gnosis). The character can issue successive commands once the spirit is under her control; each additional command requires that the player expend an additional Willpower point. The spirit cannot be ordered to leave a place or object (or, in the case of fomori, person...) to which it is bound. Eyes of the Lynx ( Changing Ways ) Lynx spirits, embodying the Umbral ideal of their earthly counterparts’ powerful eyesight, can see even beyond physical obstacles. Theurges who learn this Gift can peer through walls or beneath the earth. A lynx spirit teaches this Gift. The player rolls Perception + Alertness (difficulty 6). For the rest of the scene, the Garou can see through solid objects, up to a number of yards of material equal to the success on the roll. Name the Spirit The werewolf gains an instinctive rapport with denizens of the Umbra. He can sense the type and approximate Trait levels (Rage, Gnosis, Willpower) of spirits. Owl- and raven-spirits teach this Gift. System: The player spends one Willpower and rolls Perception + Occult (difficulty 8). Sight from Beyond This is a Gift of prophecy. The werewolf becomes an oracle, prone to dreams and visions which hint at future opportunities, challenges and threats to come. These visions are always veiled in symbolism -- an impending war against the local vampires might be presaged by visions of skyscrapers weeping blood from their upper stories, while a death in the sept might be heralded by dreams of a chorus of mournful howls rising to a ghost-pale moon. Owl-spirits teach this Gift. System: Visions are entirely under the Storyteller's control and are best handled through RolePlaying, though a truly stumped player might ask for a Wits + Occult (difficulty 7) roll to help interpret a particularly puzzling vision. Rank 3 Exorcism This is the Gift of ejecting spirits from places, objects, or even people, whether they are bound or in voluntary possession. Any Incarna avatar can teach this Gift. System: The werewolf must concentrate for three uninterrupted turns. If the spirit does not wish to leave, the player must roll Manipulation + Intimidation (difficulty of the spirit's Willpower). If the spirit was bound to its lodging, the exorcist must gain more successes than the binder did when tying the spirit to its location. This Gift can be used to "cure" fomori, although doing so inflicts ten levels of aggravated damage at a rate of one level per turn as the Bane tears free of its fleshly home. This ensures the host's swift demise unless a powerful healer manages to preserve his life during the exorcism. Pulse of the Invisible Spirits fill the world, and none know this fact better than the Theurge. This Gift grants constant awareness of the spirit world. Even in the physical world, the Theurge can interact with spirits in the Penumbra at will. While most spirit activity isn't worth watching, the Theurge will be automatically aware of any dramatic changes or upheavals nearby. Any spirit can teach this Gift. System: If the Garou's permanent Gnosis equals or exceeds the local Gauntlet, he can see into the Umbra automatically. Otherwise, the player must roll Gnosis to look through the Gauntlet (difficulty of the Gauntlet rating). Such awareness lasts for the rest of the scene or until the character enters an area with a stronger Gauntlet. Umbral Camouflage Although perfectly visible to all others, this Gift renders the werewolf undetectable to spirits. A wind-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point, and for the remainder of the scene, she is completely invisible to spiritual senses. She may move about as normal but cannot make any attack actions without disrupting the Gift. Watchful Eyes ( Changing Ways ) As a mouthpiece for the spirit world, the Theurge may invite its denizens to witness the wrongs of her enemies and render silent judgement. She appears mysterious and terrible as a force of nature to those who would stand against her, whether they are consciously aware of the spiritual audience at her side or not. Any feline spirit can teach this Gift. System: The player spends a point of Gnosis as the Garou’s presence becomes an invitation for spirits in the area, on either side of the Gauntlet, to gather and watch the proceedings. The spirits need not act, and the target need not know they even exist; their mere gaze adds adds an air of awe-inspiring mysticism to the Theurge’s actions. If using this Gift in the material world, the difficulty of any roll she makes to intimidate, persuade, or impress for the rest of the scene is reduced by (7 - local Gauntlet rating), to a minimum difficulty of 3. If it’s used in the Umbra, reduce the difficulty to 3 instead. If the watching spirits have an avenue to interact with the scene, they are generally more inclined to support the Garou than not, unless they’re aligned with the Wyrm. Web Walker The Garou may travel on the Pattern Web through the Umbra without physical difficulty, and without attracting the unfriendly attention of Weaver-spirits in the area. Any Weaver-spirit can teach this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Charisma + Science (difficulty 7). Success enables the Garou (and her pack, so long as they stick close to her) to travel through the Umbra across the Pattern Web as though she were on a moon bridge. Whether the Web's strands go where the Garou wants to travel is another matter entirely. Rank 4 Blurring the Mirror This Gift allows the Theurge to cloud the minds of other beings, making it impossible for them to find the Umbra or step sideways into it. Once used as a form of punishment for arrogant pups, this Gift is more often deployed as a weapon against Black Spiral Dancers in the days of the coming Apocalypse. A Weaver-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point for every individual she wishes to affect. The Gauntlet increases by five for those targets for the rest of the scene. Up to five individuals can be affected at once. While normally used against other Garou, this Gift is effective against any being capable of entering the Umbra sideways, including other Fera and some mages. Grasp the Beyond The werewolf may carry things in and out of the Umbra without having to dedicate them to herself (see the Rite Of Talisman Dedication). This Gift affects objects, people and animals, both willing and unwilling. An opossum- or kangaroo-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The character must grasp the object or person he wishes to take to (or from) the spirit world, and spend a number of Willpower points: one for small items (a knife or cell phone), two for larger items (a backpack or shotgun), and three for man-sized items (including people). The player makes the usual Gnosis roll to pierce the Gauntlet and step sideways; if successful, both he and the desired object or person pass into the Umbra. An unwilling subject may resist with a Willpower roll; each success subtracts one from the Garou's successes. If left in the Umbra too long, living beings turn into spirits entirely. Spirit Blossom ( Changing Ways ) Spirit Drain The Garou may drain power from a spirit to feed her own resolve. A rat-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player makes a resisted Gnosis roll against the spirit. If the player succeeds, the spirit loses one Essence point per success for the rest of the scene. For every two points drained, the Garou gains a temporary Willpower point. She loses any points exceeding her maximum at the end of the scene. Spirit Ward This Gift allows a werewolf to protect herself from spirits by performing a quick warding rite. The werewolf traces an invisible pictogram in the air that frightens and unnerves any nearby spirits, and which travels with the Garou for as long as it persists. An ancestor-spirit teaches this Gift. System: The player spends one Gnosis point and rolls Manipulation + Rituals (difficulty 7). Spirits within 100 feet (30 m) of the character must subtract one from their dice pools for each success. Any spirit that comes within 50 feet (15 m) of the character (except a caern spirit or the character's pack totem) loses one point from its Essence per turn for each success the player rolled. This Gift lasts for one scene. Rank 5 Feral Lobotomy Unleashing a surge of pure Wyld energy, the werewolf can devolve an opponent's mind into that of an animal, effectively destroying his intelligence. A Wyldling teaches this Gift. System: The player rolls Wits + Empathy (difficulty of the target's Willpower + 3, maximum 10) and spends a number of Gnosis points. If successful, the Garou can destroy the target's Intelligence Attribute permanently; the target loses one Intelligence dot for each two points of Gnosis spent, and cannot lose more Intelligence than the number of successes rolled. Lost Intelligence is replaced with feral, animalistic behavior. Malleable Spirit The werewolf can change a spirit's form or purpose. A Chimerling teaches this Gift. System: The player must best the spirit in a resisted Gnosis roll. The difficulty is based on what the Garou tries to accomplish, while the spirit's difficulty is the Garou's Gnosis. ' '''Ultimate Argument of Logic Those who speak with the Theurge leave convinced of some fact they might otherwise have disbelieved. If successful, the Garou can cause the target to believe implicitly in one aspect of existence (true or false) -- that the Earth is the center of the universe, that there is such a thing as a spirit world, or that cities are unnatural affronts to nature, for example. A coyote-spirit teaches this Gift. ''System: The player needs three successes on a Manipulation + Performance roll (difficulty of the target's Wits + Enigmas).